Judges: Harassment and Intimidation
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support do the police provide to judges if they experience (a) intimidation and (b) harassment (i) online and (I) in person.
Answered by Sarah Jones
The Secretary of State regards judicial office holders’ safety with great importance. There are a range of judicial security policies and procedures in place to protect judicial office holders in court, outside of court and online.
The Police work jointly with HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and the Judicial Office to deliver appropriate safeguarding arrangements for judicial office holders who are the victim of a crime and/or subject to harassment, intimidation or threat as a result of their judicial role. The agreement between the three agencies which forms the framework for delivery of these safeguarding measures is known as the Judicial Harassment Protocol.
The Protocol enables appropriate and proportionate safeguarding measures to be applied where such as:
- Oversight by an appropriately senior police officer
- Bespoke threat assessments
- Home security assessments
- Provision of personal and online safety advice and support
- Provision, where appropriate, of personal safety device
The police are working alongside the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS as key members of the Security Taskforce, commissioned by the Lady Chief Justice and chaired by Deputy Senior Presiding Judge Mrs Justice Yip, to consider opportunities for further improvement in this crucial area.
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